Pune to have a museum dedicated to Sachin Tendulkar

Pune (Maharashtra), April 6 (IANS) After the clamour for Bharat Ratna for cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar, now the Maharashtra government plans to set up a museum dedicated to the living legend in Pune, a top official said here Wednesday.

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) mayor Mohansingh Rajpal said a plot of land measuring around 1.25 acres at Balewadi has been set aside for the project.

“Now, the proposal will go through various committees of PMC before we forward it to the state government and make the allotment for the museum,” Rajpal told IANS.

He estimated that after completing all the formalities, the PMC is likely to make the allotment within a couple of months or so.

The PMC decided to make the offer of the plot after the state government took a decision on the issue last year and also set aside a sum of Rs.40 crore for the purpose.

However, the plans gathered dust since there was no suitable land of this size available anywhere in space-starved and congested Mumbai.

Now, the PMC has decided to grab the opportunity to allot the land for the Tendulkar museum in Pune and the state government has gladly and readily accepted the proposal.

The ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member of the PMC standing committee Shrikant Patil moved the proposal, which was unanimously accepted.

“It will be an honour to have Sachin Tendulkar’s museum in Pune. We are confident it would become a major tourist attraction,” Patil said while moving the proposal.

The museum - the cost and setting up of which would be responsibility of the state government - will detail Sachin’s rise from a cricket whizkid to an international legend and part of the ICC 2011 World Cup winner Indian cricket team.

Meanwhile, the PMC plans to accord a public felicitation to the entire Indian cricket team soon, Rajpal said.